The real reason you don’t get paid!
You’ve been waiting for this new patient for a while now. They were referred to you by a current patient of yours and reportedly is in rough shape. He has been to lots of MDs and maybe a DC or two. Their complaint is not solely musculoskeletal, it’s a whole lot more. The person has Type 2 Diabetes, seizures, progressive kidney failure and a whole lot of drama with unemployment that goes with it.
You do a great exam and you’re convinced you can help them become healthier. Next, you prepare your recommendations and when you get to the ROF he says…I can’t afford it! You’re flooded with anger, resentment, and that “I knew this was going to happen” feeling. You rant ‘n rave to your CA and then retreat to your office. Now what?
Right here is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. Too many DCs are halted by mental limitations. Deep in your mind you accept their decision and are sometimes even relieved that they won’t be in your office. You know that Chiropractic can help with aches and pains, but this is an entirely different matter. This type of thinking gets in the way of growth in your office and continues to relegate you to adult pain relief only.
Get this concept and it will change your practice today!
A person with this type of disease package has been to many, many doctors…and they all have been paid. Every single one of them, no exceptions. Even if you are in Canada (National Health Care), the doctors have been paid by the government. If this person was on some form of social assistance (welfare or other entitlement program) the doctors are being paid. There is an exchange going on, regardless if you can see it or not.
So why is it that every doctor is getting paid, until they get to your office? Why is your office the place people look to find free or discounted care? Imagine going to Chiropractic College and asking for your training to be free, just because things are rough in your life?
If there is not an exchange going on between you and your patients, you cannot exist. If the patient doesn’t put ‘skin in the game’ and commitment, no results will be forthcoming. Our hearts go out to people in difficult circumstances but think about it this way: a personal trainer cannot lose the weight for the client, no matter how sorry they feel for the client. If a different person pays for their physical training, they won’t benefit as if they paid for it themselves. To get the best results, it must include the best effort of the patient and the doctor, not one or the other.
DCs tend to be very humanitarian; however, the best thing a DC can do for their patients is assist them and their families in becoming healthier. A recurring theme in Chiropractic offices is caving in on your fees and recommendations to "help out" a patient who has a sad story to tell.
Free care or discounted care has its place and purpose, particularly for a specific, brief period of time. Most of us have people who we care for in this fashion. They are the exception and not the rule. The old story of the mother-in-law that came for ‘just a weekend’ and never left comes to mind. How many of us have made the same deal that has ended badly? How about assisting the person to once and for all give up the story and the victim status and instead guide them towards health where they will be on solid ground, no matter the circumstances?
Take a moment and reflect upon your clinical experience. The miracles happened when there was a sharing of interest in a common goal, not a separate interest. When both the doctor and the patient gave their best and made a commitment the conditions were right for a miracle.
Don’t be ashamed of being successful and getting paid…it’s how you truly help your patient. Your office may not fit the needs of all people, but for the ones who make the necessary commitment, it’s a life defining moment
